HOLY PLACES IN INDIA...

Legends

Each place in the route tells its own independent story and significance.

• Gangotri:King Bhagirath, the grandson of King Sagar, did an arduous penance to save his ancestors from getting perish as per the curse of Sage Kapil. Lord Shiva, the perpetuator of truth, was pleased with this and asked Goddess Ganga (The Daughter of Heaven) to descend on the Earth to freed them from the curse. To minimize her force that could damage the planet, Lord Shiva controlled her in his locks. The Gangotri marks this event and a sacred stone besides it is the place where Ganga touched the ground for the first time.
• Yamunotri:This was the residing place of the worshipped sage, Asit Muni and that a dip in the river would spare one from a sorrowful death. Yamuna is the daughter of the Sun God and the sister of the God of Death – Yama.
• Kedarnath:
  Nara and Narayana, the two manifestations of Vishnu, underwent tough penance in front of a Shivalingam (phallic form of Lord Shiva) that emerged from the Earth in Badrikashraya (Badrinath). On being pleased, Lord Shiva asked them for a blessing. Both of them asked to make Kedarnath an ever lasting home of Shiva in form of a Jyotirlingam to freed the worshipping people from their worries and tensions.
• Badrinath:This is the abode of Lord Vishnu, the perpetuator of life, who undergone tough penance here as Nar and Narayana for welfare of the mankind. After Ganga descending down on the Earth, she got divided into 12 tributaries, of which, Alaknanda, became his abode.

Pilgrimage Temples

Maximum pilgrims start from the holy temple town of Haridwar; while the rest start from its twin city, Rishikesh. Some might even approach from Dehradun, the capital of Uttaranchal.

• Gangotri:The shrine of the goddess Ganga was made in the 18th century out of white granite. However, the temple’s visit is only possible from May to Diwali, as the idol is otherwise taken to the close by Mukhba village, near Harsil due to heavy snow resulting in the closing of the temple. Do not miss the Aarti ceremony at the banks in the evening that includes worshipping the river with huge lit diyas giving you a feeling of holiness and sereneness even in the middle of the ever flowing mass. Next, is a stunning natural rock Shivling immersed in the river that can be seen in winters only when the water levels are low. Signifying the celestial power, the legend says that Lord Shiva locked the Ganga in his curls at this place.

• Yamunotri:The shrine here is dedicated to the river Yamuna as a silver idol decorated with garlands. Just before the entrance to the temple, the Divya Shilla, a rock pillar is worshipped. The thermal spring named Surya Kund is where people take a holy dip and prepare rice and potatoes by dipping the packed muslin bag to offer it to the deity. Another water spring is the Gauri Kund offering warm waters for bathing

• Kedarnath:Built by the Pandavas of Mahabharata, the temple is an architectural stone marvel. Herein, you will see the hall holding the scenes of Hindu mythology and the statues of five Pandavas, Lord Krishna – an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Nandi (Bull – the divine vehicle of Lord Shiva), and Virbhadra – the guard of Lord Shiva. The inner sanctum (Garbha Griha) is where you can worship the Shivalingam. There is also the sculpted head of a man in the pyramidal facade adjacent temple marking the site of the Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati’s marriage. Behind the temple’s rear, a Samadhi mandir (final resting place) of Shree Adi Shankaracharya at his age of 32 years is worth visiting.

• Badrinath:Shankara discovered the idol of Badrinarayan in the Alaknanda River made from a black Saligram stone whose shrine was made in a cave close to the Tapt Kund, hot springs. Today, what you see is the remodeled temple since the 17th century. 50 feet tall with a small cupola on the top, the shrine is adorned with a gilded roof and the frontage of arched stoned windows. Carved on the patterns of Buddhist temples, a few staircases takes you to an arched main entrance after which you come across the mandapa, a giant pillared hall of detailed carvings and the garbha gruha, the main worshipping area. The temple is only possible from June to September. Do also visit the Mata Murti Temple dedicated to the mother of Badrinathji.
•